Swell - now my truck is kaput

[BigBigBear]

Ran like a top yesterday to and from Glenwood Springs, 350 miles round trip. Got in to run a some errands today, the thing wouldn't start, wouldn't even crank. Called a friend who drove me to a store for a battery, spent 2 hours de-corroding the terminals and the bolts, got it in there (it doesn't fit) and it still won't start. Just a sickly clicking sound.

I'm supposed to close on a house and move this week, in addition to about 30 other things.

A damaged and confused life just got measurably harder this evening.

[flamingyouth]

1. I'm sorry

That book is going to be on its way to you tomorrow - I promise. Sending you lots of good vibes, I know you need 'em. :hug: Lisa

[acmavm]

2. I am so sorry. Haven't had a car for about a month, so I sincerely

sympathize with your plight. Hope it's not too serious (or expensive).

[ewagner]

3. Starter? n/t

[shawcomm]

4. If it is the starter, you might

be able to get it going to get you back to the parts store by getting underneath and tapping the starter a few times with a hammer. If it's sticking or sometimes even when it's worn this will get you going. Tap on the starter then try turning it over.

[BigBigBear]

5. Thx Lisa - hugs back atcha

Kind of doubt it's the starter. When I first tried it and it wouldn't start, I called a wrecker service and they came out and jumped it. Drove to the recycle yard, made a deposit, wouldn't start again. A nice fellow there jumped with me cables, I got home. Tried to start it again, no dice. Figured it was a dead battery - I've had the truck 4 1/2 years, put almost 80,000 miles on it and haven't switched it out, so...reasonable assumption the battery just wouldn't hold a charge anymore.

The replacement didn't seem to help - plus it doesn't quite fit.

Tomorrow is going to suck - every day sucks, lately, but it's going to suck AND be inconvenient AND expensive.

[shawcomm]

6. hmmmm...

Since it took you so much time cleaning the corrosion, maybe your cables have gone bad. A lot of times the corrosion will run the length of the cable, shooting to hell it's current carrying ability. The other possibility is that the store sold you a dead battery. I had that happen once. I bought a battery, got it home and hooked up only to find that it was deader than my original.

Hope you get it worked out...

editing: Oh, and you might also check the battery cable connections on the other ends; the ground cable to the engine block and the positive cable where it connects to the starter solenoid, which may or may not be on the starter. If those are loose or corroded they will cause the same sort of problems.

[madrchsod]

7. sounds like a starter if it`s clicking-bad solenoid

or crappy connections..80,000 miles isn`t that bad-

[htuttle]

10. Yup

Back in the day, you could work around a bad solenoid by striking it hard with a hammer while someone turned the key. Don't know if that would still work with these newfangled automobiles...

[BigBigBear]

8. Just called the shop

He said the cables were corroded, they cleaned them out, looks good for now.

Write the guy a check, and we return to our regularly scheduled chaos.

[notadmblnd]

9. Its your starter

not too expensive is you swap it out yourself.. 30 buck or so.